Comments on: Ubuntu Is One Geeky OS

By: Jason

Jason — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:28:23 +0000

Actually, xubuntu is almost /exactly/ like windows. Just rearrange some of the bars, and presto, WINDOWS!

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:58:35 +0000

Thanks for all the great feedback. One major issue I just came across was my wireless. I spend hours getting the TrendNet USB wireless to work and I was successful. Then I turn on the machine last night and all my hard work was gone. No wireless.

Is it just inactive or do I have to spend the time trying to re-configure/install it all again?

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By: MilesTeg

MilesTeg — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:50:22 +0000

as mentioned above:
-search in synaptic for the desired app and turn on the “restricted repositories”
if that’s not working look at

http://www.getdeb.net.

They have a lot of .deb files (similiar to setup.exe in windows) with pretty uptodate software!

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:46:26 +0000

I use (K)ubuntu and I’ve had a nice experience with it. However, it is a distribution focused on stability (like its daddy, Debian) and not on bleeding-edge. This is why there isn’t an official Firefox 3 package. There will be as soon as there is a 3.0 non-alpha/beta/theta/gamma/whatever (stable).

By: Chris Lees

Chris Lees — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:19:59 +0000

This post is a very good illustration of one of the biggest obstacles to Linux adoption. Although most tasks are at least as easy to accomplish as on Windows, the system works in a very different way, so new users get confused. They try to apply their Windows knowledge to Linux and have troubles.

Maybe Ubuntu should have a little guided tour thing during the installer that tells you some of the ways that Linux differs from Windows?

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:09:51 +0000

You should try Linux Mint 4.0. It is based on Ubuntu, but you don’t have tinker with it to get it play mp3′s, wmv, etc. And you can install Nvidia or ATI drivers using Envy.

Linux Mint is what Ubuntu should be.

By: Caraibes

Caraibes — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:53:20 +0000

-Have you ever heard of Medibuntu ???

See it here:
http://www.medibuntu.org/

Also, just open Synaptic, and search te term “restricted”… It gives you all the nasties…

You shouldn’t post such an article when it is clear you haven’t done the most basic homework…

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:37:55 +0000

Nice post, but your issues seem kind of minor… I’ve found installing to be way easier than Mac and Windows. It’s just different. As for installing, a terminal is by no means required, just faster.

As for flash, just enable the universe and multiverse repositories (System > Administration > Software Sources), then find ‘flashplugin-nonfree’ in Synaptic (System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager).

If you want FF3, enable the backports repository. Then turn it back off, so you don’t get unstable software. It’s called firefox-3.0.

I’m glad you like Ubuntu, however. It’s my only OS, and very fun to use.

By: Jim Campbell

Jim Campbell — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:36:11 +0000

Thanks for giving Ubuntu a try. Regarding trying to install different applications, I agree that it can seem overwhelming trying to figure out which applications to install at first. In the long run, though, once you get familiar with things, you’ll find that it is much easier to be able to type a command or click a few buttons to install a program than to have to go to a website, download a file, click the file, and then click through an installer that requires you to accept their license agreement.

Also, you may find it useful to glance through the Ubuntu documentation. It’s available through the red and white circle (looks like a floatation device) in your menu bar. The docs should help you with installing programs, including installing any multimedia functionality that you want. Best of luck!

By: lefty.crupps

lefty.crupps — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:43:27 +0000

Look into the Add/Remove Software program (Synaptic on Ubuntu, I believe) and turn on the Additional Repositories for a lot more software. Universe and Metaverse they’re called; also look into adding the Ubuntu Multimedia repository for more goodies.

By: Eric Wendelin

Eric Wendelin — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:06:23 +0000

Hope you enjoy Gutsy Gibbon. Right now it is my favorite OS. You can hit mozilla’s site to download the Firefox 3 binary and install it (no pkg here). I think that you can just unzip the firefox 3 folder wherever (I recommend /usr/local/bin) and do ./firefox Good luck!

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:01:19 +0000

Sound exactly like my experience. Ubuntu was the first distro I installed as I heard it was the most user friendly and god for people new from windows. It only lasted 2 weeks on my system and Ive been happily running PCLinux since. With PCLinux for the most part you only have to use the command line when you want to not because you have to.

By: xangua

xangua — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 23:18:28 +0000

There is a more easy way to dothat you know, in Aplications menu_Add and quit
you need to unmark some extension that come in firefox’s ubuntu; just show “installed aplications” and type “fire” and unmark the ubuntu’s extension, then you only install flash via the Add and quit or directly from firefox

By: Jim Powell

Jim Powell — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:08:14 +0000

Ubuntu: Been there, done that, glad I did it. But it gets tiresome going into the shell every time I need to change something. PCLinuxOS or Mandriva (among others) would be a better introduction to Linux for non-geeks, or even Mac-geeks!